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STEM Tea

STEM Tea | Mentoring junior faculty: how to handle the research tidal wave

Season 2, Ep. 14
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In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, AJ Hinton is joined by guest co-host Andrea Marshall, a Staff Scientist in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Vanderbilt University (TN, USA) studying age-related changes in mitochondrial networks. The pair speak with David Drake (left), Professor of microbiology and infectious diseases in the Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry (IA, USA), where his research focuses on the development of the oral microbiome in young children.


In this episode, however, the focus is on mentoring. Throughout David’s 35-year professorship, he has given back to the scientific community by mentoring junior faculty and teaching others how to be the best mentors they can be. He highlights the importance of finding work–life harmony, setting boundaries and having empathy for those starting their scientific careers. With references to Neil Young and Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, David shares the life lessons that have stuck with him throughout his career.


  • Introductions: 00:00–01:51
  • A day in the life of David Drake: 01:51–03:54
  • Why mentoring is important to David: 03:54–07:00
  • A musical meander down memory lane – the relevance of Neil Young’s “Old Man”: 07:00–07:57
  • What are David’s most significant accomplishments as a Professor? And how does he share lessons from these accomplishments with his mentees? 07:57–12:10
  • What advice would David give to an early career scientist? 12:10–14:31
  • What should early career scientists look for in a mentor? And how can senior faculty be the best mentors they can be? 14:31–18:46
  • Meet the mentors who influenced David’s life and career: 18:46–22:00
  • The life lessons that have stuck with David throughout his career: 22:00–24:53
  • Why is learning how to be a better mentor a worthwhile pursuit? 24:53–27:02
  • The “welcome to science, most of your stuff’s not going to work” lesson and how to teach it: 27:02–33:00
  • A mentor’s guide to setting boundaries and communicating them without discouraging mentees: 33:00–36:39
  • How does David spend his free time? 36:39–40:06
  • Navigating personal time, boundaries and breaks from work: 40:06–41:03
  • How does David encourage mentees to slow down? 41:03–45:17
  • The importance of reading: 45:17–48:37
  • What is David drinking? 48:37–50:14
  • Outro: 50:14–51:48

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  • 15. STEM Tea | The experiences of an industry scientist

    50:55||Season 2, Ep. 15
    In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, AJ Hinton is joined by Angela Pack – Senior Scientist at a pharmaceutical company in Rockville/Gaithersburg (MD, USA). Angela is an immunologist, who recently transitioned from infectious disease vaccine development to translational medicine and clinical trial data analysis. In this episode, Angela calls on her experience in academia and industry to discuss factors to consider when pursuing a scientific career in industry as well as career options for scientists who don’t want to be at the bench, highlighting the multitude of different roles that one can pursue.Contents:Meet Angela Pack: 00:00–02:25Starting with her PhD research: 02:25–04:57Expanding your skillset during your graduate education to prepare for a role in industry: 04:57–09:23What are hiring teams in industry looking for? 09:23–14:52A peek at the future of vaccinology: 14:52–18:33How to make yourself stand out as an industry applicant: 18:33–25:20CV-specific tips: 22:12–25:20What is Angela’s experience of work–life balance in industry? 25:20–30:32Finding opportunities to engage in mentoring and outreach: 30:32–36:52Progressing in industry: the roles that exist besides working at the bench: 36:52–40:19Moving companies to move vertically: 40:19–43:51Keep your LinkedIn up to date to attract recruiters: 43:51–45:32What does Angela do for fun? 45:32–48:51 Parting advice from Angela: don’t be afraid to reach out to industry professionals to learn more about their work: 48:51–50:55You can reach out to Angela on LinkedIn or X!

  • 13. Science beyond academia: a career in the charity sector

    38:27||Season 2, Ep. 13
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  • 12. STEM Tea | How to lead a lab

    44:47||Season 2, Ep. 12
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  • 11. STEM Tea | Empowering youth, empowering communities: on a mission to decolonize knowledge

    54:09||Season 2, Ep. 11
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  • 10. Championing health equity for underserved communities

    59:56||Season 2, Ep. 10
    In this episode of STEM Tea, host AJ Hinton is joined by Ricardo Correa, an endocrinologist and the Director of Diversity in Graduate Medical Education at the University of Arizona College of Medicine (AZ, USA). After becoming a doctor in Panama and relocating to the USA to focus on research, Ricardo discovered a passion for health equity and decided to focus on helping underserved communities.Here, Ricardo discusses his journey into medicine and academia, the network of mentors he built along the way and how to increase minority representation in medical school. Ricardo also explains the concept of health disparities and talks about some of the projects he’s involved in, including collecting data for neglected transgender populations and addressing vaccination disparities in minority communities. Contents:·        Introductions: 00:00­–01:10·        Ricardo’s journey into medicine and academia: 01:10–04:20·        Focusing on health equity: 04:20–05:49·        Defining health disparities and providing interventions for communities: 05:49–10:32·        Ricardo’s role models and mentors: 10:32–15:50·        Getting money for interventions: 15:50–20:17·        Affirmative action and getting minorities into medical school: 20:17–24:08·        Medical school application tips: 24:08–30:56·        Choosing the right medical school: 30:56–34:14·        Gathering health data for transgender populations: 34:14–37:25·        Ricardo’s work on adrenal glands: 37:25–39:42·        Disparities and vaccination uptake: 39:42–42:39·        Discrimination in healthcare for LGBTQIA+ individuals: 42:39–47:00·        Balancing work and life: 47:00–48:50·        Picking and prioritizing opportunities: 48:50–52:48·        The importance of empathy: 52:48–54:20·        Finding career development opportunities: 54:20–56:53·        What are you drinking? 56:53–59:57

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    44:52||Season 2, Ep. 9
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  • 8. The beating heart of bioengineering, cardiovascular research and DEI

    39:36||Season 2, Ep. 8
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  • 7. Mentoring and microscopy cores: central pillars of academic learning

    44:18||Season 2, Ep. 7
    In this episode of the STEM Tea Podcast, AJ speaks with Kaye Thomas (University of Rochester, NY, USA) and Feather Ives (University of California, Berkley, CA, USA) about the career paths that led them to their respective microscopy cores. Feather and Kaye detail the value that cores can impart on your career and how they can be critical sources of hands-on, practical learning. Discover the work of communities such as PAIR-UP and BioImaging North America – operating to improve DEAI in the microscopy space – and how scholarships such as the Meyerhoff Scholars Program can impact a career.Feather and Kaye talk candidly about the importance of maintaining DEAI support through to adulthood, getting comfortable with talking about race in public and professional contexts and the peace that can be found in the reading and writing of romance novels… Contents:Introduction: 00:00–01:00Introducing Kaye Thomas and Feather Ives: 01:00–02:40Feather’s career path: 02:40–05:50Kaye’s career path: 05:50–10:15The impact of mentoring on both Feather (10:15–12:30) and Kaye’s careers (12:30–16:10)How cores can be a source of kindness and real learning for early career researchers: 16:10–19:50Introducing Pair-Up and BINA: 19:50–25:00DEAI committees and programs at Rochester: 25:00–27:00Grassroots community DEAI work and the importance of maintaining support through to adulthood: 27:00–29:00Getting comfortable with talking about race in public spaces: 29:00–31:00Addressing the pressures of Black excellence and explaining the pressure to be perfect: 31:00–34:00Fun activities to stay grounded and make the most of family life: 34:00–39:00Career development, next steps and microscopy courses: 39:00–44:15 
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